


once upon a time

by cherrysalad



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 14:46:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14673327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrysalad/pseuds/cherrysalad
Summary: Cheryl hopes to dance with the prince, she ends up dancing with someone much better.





	once upon a time

"Cheryl!" Penelope's shrill voice dragged Cheryl out of her deep, dreamless sleep. She cracked her eyes open to see her mother looming over her, her face was twisted into a sour, distasteful expression as usual.

"What is it mother?" Cheryl asked nervously, she knew she had completed all of her chores the night before, but maybe her mother had found some flaw? She often did with Cheryl's work.

"I have excellent news," Penelope said. That was surprising, she certainly didn't look like someone who had just received good news, but maybe she had spent so much time looking disgusted that it just stuck. "The king is throwing a ball which all eligible young noblewomen are invited to, he's hoping to find a wife for his son, Prince Archibald." Cheryl stared up at her mother.

"And you want me to go?" She asked. That was certainly not something I expected, surely her mother would rather have her stay at home and continue to do housework than have a chance to escape.

"Well of course you're going," Penelope said scowling. "It's about time you start pulling your weight, if Prince Archibald chose you as his bride this family would never want for anything again. Besides... a marriage to a man such as he may help you break your deviant habits." Cheryl stared down at her hands and swallowed the lump in her throat that formed whenever she was reminded of Heather. 

"Alright, I'll go," she said. It would at the very least get her away from home and her chores for a night.

"It was never a choice," Penelope said with a cold laugh. "Now come and make breakfast. We'll discuss dresses and other such arrangements today, we only have a week to prepare, I don't know what they were thinking, giving us such short notice for such an important event..." she was still muttering complaints as she crossed Cheryl's small bedroom and descended the rickety staircase.

Cheryl threw her thin blanket off and hastily dressed in one of her plain dresses. Before her mother had found about Cheryl and the servant girl, Heather, she had dressed in beautiful, expensive clothing every day, but when her mother found out the truth about her she'd taken everything Cheryl loved, including her clothing.

She hurried downstairs and began to lay out two place settings on the table where her brother was reading a book about wildflowers.

"Good morning, Cheryl," Jason greeted her with a bright smile. Jason wasn't like Penelope, he didn't care who she fell in love with. 

"Good morning," Cheryl said before bustling off to the kitchen where she started preparing porridge. Her mother rarely came in the kitchen so Cheryl was surprised when she appeared in the doorway.

"There's a dance teacher coming over today," Penelope said. "God knows you need all the help you can get."

…

The next few weeks were a whirl of glittering dresses and lessons on everything from appropriate posture to the right way to smile. Cheryl wasn't sure if it was better or worse than her usual housework. 

Part of Cheryl hoped that the prince would choose her, it would mean she could escape her mother which was what she wanted more than anything, but she knew there would be more than one hundred girls at the ball trying to woo him. Cheryl didn't have a chance.

When the night of the ball arrived Cheryl's mother came to her room and helped her prepare. The dress Penelope had decided on was dark green silk with elaborate beading on the bodice, the silk felt cool and slippery against Cheryl's legs.

Penelope yanked a brush harshly through Cheryl's hair until it was smooth and shiny.

"Now I won't be coming, but Jason will be escorting you so don't think you'll be able to get away with anything. He's going to keep a close eye on you," Penelope said before her daughter went downstairs. Cheryl's stomach fluttered with excitement, there was no way Jason would keep an eye on her. He was going to spend the party drinking and flirting with pretty girls.

"Of course mother," she said. Penelope eyed her suspiciously before nodding in the direction of the stairs.

"We'll get going, you don't want to be late." Cheryl nodded and walked carefully down the narrow staircase, holding her skirt up so she didn't trip. 

Jason was waiting for her at the door, he smiled when he saw her.

"You look lovely," he told her.

"Thank you," Cheryl replied. They stepped out the door without saying goodbye to Penelope and walked across the garden to where a beautiful, elaborate carriage pulled by two white horses waited. She wondered how much money her mother was spending on this, sure they were wealthy but they weren't that wealthy. 

The carriage ride to the palace was long, but Cheryl couldn't be bored if she tried. She was buzzing with anticipation. She watched out the window as the sun set and painted the sky a dusky purple. By the time they stopped in front of the castle behind a long line of carriages, the stars were out.

She daintily climbed out of the carriage with Jason's help and they walked to the doors of the castle. The doors were open and there seemed to be a steady stream of partygoers filtering in, Cheryl and Jason followed after a pair of tittering sisters with bows in their hair. 

They stepped into the entrance hall where a few small clusters of girls stood talking. Cheryl had barely seen anyone outside of her family since Heather, so being surrounded by so many strangers was like being plunged suddenly into ice cold water. She stared at the groups of girls until Jason pulled her away and through another doorway into the ballroom. 

The ballroom was filled with girls in gorgeous dresses, all whirling and glittering in the candlelight. Music swelled in Cheryl's ears and all of a sudden she was pulled away from Jason by a dark haired man. Not the prince, but Cheryl smiled politely and danced with him anyway. Cheryl's partner changed every so often, they were all unremarkable men in dull suits, none of them were the prince, but the dancing was still more fun than Cheryl had had in ages. 

By the time she stopped to get a drink her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright. She scanned the crowd, looking for the Prince's red hair and spotted him. He seemed to be occupied with a pretty brunette, they were dancing and grinning brightly at each other. Cheryl's heart sank. She sighed and took a sip of her wine. 

"Care to dance?" came a voice from behind Cheryl. She turned around and saw a girl with pink flowers woven into her long brown braid, full lips and big, beautiful dark eyes. Her dress was black and simple compared to the lavishly decorated outfits that most of the attendees were wearing, but she was prettier than any other girl at the party.

"Yes," Cheryl said quietly, extending a delicate hand. There were many pairs of girls dancing together, probably due to the very few men attending the ball. The girl put one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder and led them in a waltz. It felt like the hand on her waist was searing a hole through her dress and made a fizzing, fluttering feeling fill her stomach. 

"What's your name?" The girl asked, eyes twinkling at Cheryl. 

"I'm Cheryl," she said. She hated that her voice came out sounding flustered and breathless.

"My name is Antonia," the girl says "but most people call me Toni." Neither of them wanted to stop dancing with each other, even when men tried to get one of the girls to dance with them instead they would simply shake their heads. Toni was a better dancer than any of the men, and much more attractive too, which Cheryl felt guilty for even thinking. 

She thought they must have been dancing for hours when Toni dragged her to the edge of the crowd.

"Its hot in here, isn't it?" The girl said. Cheryl nodded, she could feel sweat dripping down her forehead. "Do you want to go outside? The garden here is beautiful." Cheryl nodded again, eagerly. Being with Toni in a less crowded, quieter place sounded like a dream come true. She took Cheryl's hand in hers, causing the redhead's heart rate to pick up. 

They slipped out the door of the ballroom and then Cheryl followed Toni to a side door that led into a perfectly manicured garden full of brightly colored flowers and a cherry tree in full bloom. Above, the night sky was clear, deep blue and filled with stars.

"So," Toni said as they strolled through the garden. "Did you come hoping to dance with the prince?" 

"Sort of," Cheryl admitted. The prince hadn't crossed her mind since she first saw Toni.

"I think it's kind of stupid," Toni said. "I mean they don't even know this man, and being a princess seems like a lot more hassle than it is fun."

"I agree," Cheryl said. "I only wanted to marry him so I wouldn't have to live with my mother." 

"Is she really that bad?" Toni asked, frowning.

"She is," Cheryl confirmed. "She despises me."

"That must be awful," Toni said. "You seem lovely, I don't see how anyone could despise you."

"Thank you," Cheryl said, grinning wide. "If you think trying to woo the prince is foolish, why are you here?" 

"To dance," Toni answered and then hesitated a moment "and meet pretty girls." Cheryl stared at her, wide eyed for a moment before responding. 

"Well did you meet any?" Cheryl asked quietly.

"I met you, didn't I?" Toni said, Cheryl's breath caught in her throat. Both girls stopped dead on their tracks and turned to face one another, Cheryl is the first to lean in, their lips meet, tentatively brushing and then Toni brought a hand up to gently cup Cheryl's face and their lips pressed firmly together in a slow, soft kiss. 

They only broke apart when Jason's voice cut through the still silence. 

"Cheryl!" He called "Its almost three in the morning, mother expects us home!" He grabbed Cheryl's arm firmly and began to pull her away from Toni. 

"Wait!" Toni called. "Will I see you again?" Cheryl simply gave her a pained look and didn't respond. 

She didn't want to tell Toni that she probably wouldn't.


End file.
